Friday, 23 December 2016

A
Beautiful Glittering Lie is a historical fiction novel set during the American Civil
War. Not being from the States, I have bare bones knowledge of this event in
history so I found the author’s detailed telling of events and way of life
during this time to be very interesting. The book provides both historical facts
and a look at the conditions that both the soldiers and the citizens lived in
during the Civil War. I found that some of the facts became rather dry and
dragged the story down, although I do realize that they are essential to the
story. For the most part, the story is told from the side of the Confederates.
I’ve really only ever read information from the other side so I found it very
interesting to read the alternate viewpoint. I can’t say I have changed my mind
about which side I would have supported during the war but it did open my eyes
as to why the Confederates felt the way they did. I found the pace of the book
quite slow and I struggled to stay interested but for anyone who is a Civil War
buff, this book would make for some entertaining reading. The characters are
well developed and realistically written. I enjoyed the variety of personalities
in the book, such as David who just wants to be like his dad and fight, and his
dad, tough as nails even in horrible conditions. It can be difficult to have a
lot of characters and make each one a worthwhile part of a book but the author
manages to do this well throughout the whole story. For me, the pace was a bit
slow but I realize the author had to do this in order to keep the realism of
the story. Sometimes action sequences have to be sacrificed. Overall, I did
learn a lot from this book, even with it being fiction, and I will look for
more books by this author.

Sunday, 18 December 2016

When Darkness Comes is a historical thriller set during the German
occupation of Paris in 1942. Jewish people were being exterminated at
increasing rates in what was to become the most horrific genocide in the
history of mankind. Mr. Mille takes the reader into the lives of a
group of people who helped the Jews escape before being sent to almost
certain death in concentration camps. The book opens with a look into
the events and traumas in these people's lives that brought them
together to work for the Resistance. Nobody is ever quite who they seem
and the phrase "Never trust anyone" is never truer than in this story.
I can usually predict character twists but there are a few here that I
definitely wasn't expecting. I wasn't sure how the story was going
to unfold as I started to read this book and I wasn't really taken in
with the style of writing. As I kept reading, I found myself caring for
the characters and becoming more engrossed in the various twists and
turns of the story. It almost seemed like the author settled into the
story and the writing style smoothed out and became really good. The
characters are well developed and realistic in their actions and
dialogue. The intensity of their situations and surroundings was vivid
and made me realize just how touch-and-go life was for people during
World War Two. Mr. Mille wrote every character so well that even the
vilest Nazi was given a certain amount of humanity. The story is
fast-paced and told through multiple viewpoints so the reader is never
left bored with one character. There is a satisfying ending that,
unfortunately, makes it clear that there won't be a sequel, although
the author writes about the future for everyone...that is, those that
make it to the end of the book.
I really enjoyed this book. It's perfect for anyone with an interest
in the human side of the War and those people that saved so many lives,
not just the facts and dates. I read this on my ereader and it formatted
well with good editing. The cover gives a hint to what the story is
about and enticed me to choose this as a book I wanted to read. An
excellent and enjoyable book!

Saturday, 17 December 2016

This
short story is part two in the Cult of the Cat Short Story series that is a
precursor to the book Daughter of the Sun. As the author tells the reader at
the beginning of the story, it is very imported to read the Daughter of the Sun
first and then Part One of the short story series because otherwise nothing
read will make sense. This short story is a very quick read and, in my opinion,
I’d rather read all of these short stories together in one large book. I read
Part One quite a while ago and have forgotten much of what happened. It is
essential to remember what happened in the first one in order to appreciate the
story continuity in the second one so this was a problem for me until I
remembered the first story.

This
short story continues the love story of Korian and Lucy as they struggle to be
together and overcome not only their disapproving families but also the curse
hanging over Lucy’s head regarding anyone she falls in love with. It is a well
written story with interesting characters and relationships that are believable
and realistic. I always enjoy Zoe Kalo’s writing and this short story is no
exception. My only qualm is that I wish all of these great stories were combined
into one novel.